Folding leg construction and locking means therefor



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNVENTOR ATTORNEY June 4, 1935. J. K. MITCHELL FOLDING LEG CONSTRUCTION AND LOCKING MEANS THEREFOR Filed May 28, 1954 June 4, 1935.

J. K. MITCHELL Filed May 28, 1934 FOLDING LEG CONSTRUCTION AND LOCKINGMEANS THEREFOR 5 Sheet-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY June 4, 1935. J. K. MITCHELL 2,003,836

FOLDING LEG CONSTRUCTION AND LOCKING MEANS THEREFOR Filed May 23, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR and other like pieces of furniture, and more par- Patented June 4, 1935 UNITED STATES FOLDING LEG CONSTRUCTION AND LOCK- mQMEANs THEREFOR.

John Kearsley Mitchell, Bryn Mawr, Pa. Application May 28, 1934, Serial No. 727,871

. 6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in folding table leg constructions for bridge tables ticularly to improved automatic locking and releasing mechanism for folding table legs.

In my copending application Ser. No. 671,609 dated May 18, 1933, for Game table, I have disclosed improvements in bridge table constructions, including novel composite cover members and improved hinges.

I have now discovered that the utility of these improved leg constructions may be appreciably increased by providing positive retaining, means for retaining the folding legs in locked position when folded under the tablesin combination with added spring means for positively urging the legs into their vertical, operative positions in the respective leg sockets.

The novel improvements of the present invention permit a positive locking of the legs in folded position, together with a definitely controlled automatic opening of the legs when desired.

Features of the present invention will be described more in detail hereinafter, andwith particular reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, in which the several parts are designated throughout the several views by like numerals, and in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view, partly in broken section, of the top of a. table showing the location of the table legmechanism;

Fig; 6 is a bottom plan view of the table shown in Fig.1, showing the details of the locking and automatic releasing mechanism;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section taken on line 'I'I of Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a vertical detail through 'thetable leg releasing mechanism taken on line 8 -8 of Fig. 12;

3 showing the thereto;

F18. 11 is a vertical section taken on line I lll of Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a view of table leg locking andreleasing mechanism taken on line l2-'-l2 of Fig. 6; Fig. 13 is a detail of the table leg locking and leg locking mechanism added Figs. 9 and 10 are views similar to Figs. 2 and releasing control mechanism taken at right an'- glesto the showing in Fig.- 12; and

Fig. 14 is a detail of modified form of table leg locking means.

Considering the invention in more detail, and

with particular reference to the drawings, the

novel automatic locking leg constructions are shown in combination with-a table designated generally by the numeral 100, having a table top- IUI mounted on a frame comprising side NH instead of being unitary, as shown, may comprise composite tops of the types shown in my applications Ser. No. 671,609 filed May 18, 1933, and Ser. No. 727,870 filed May'28, 1934.

Hinge constructions 200 are severally located at the corners of the table and secured to and under the frame or side wall members I02. The leg members 300 are mounted in the hinge constructions 200 in a manner to be described more in detail hereinafter. Hinge constructions, as noted hereinabove, conform generally to the constructions disclosed and claimed in my applica-' tion Ser. No. 727,870 filed May 28, 1934. The essential features of such constructions-comprise an angular bracket member 2I0, having depending walls 2 usually terminating in side flanges 212, the walls and flanges being adapted to abut againstthe table frame I02 and be secured there- 'to by screws or the like, suitable apertures 213 being formed in the wall and flange portions of I the bracket members; A socket member 250 formed of spaced cam plates 25! having an integral backing 252, if desired, and a bridging member 253, may be secured to the bracket member 2! in any desired manner. The cam plates 250' may be provided with extensions 254 extending through and above the base plate 210 of the bracket member, and giving a deep seat for the ferrule 3") or the table leg member 300. The bridging member 253 may be canted forward to permit the withdrawal of the leg 300 from the Y socket 250 and its rotation thereabout' to the folded position, indicated in Fig. 3. The cam plates are provided with interior and exterior cam surfaces 260 and 26l, respectively. The in-' terior cam surface is so shaped and arranged as to seat a guide pin 3 of the table leg, and a spring retaining pin 3l2 adapted to serve as a support for the spring 3I3, which may be secured to a. corner 2 Id of the angle bracket member 210. The cam surfaces 250 are so configured and arranged as to permit the leg's30ll to be withdrawn downwardly and then forwardly at right angles to its original position and nested in place and folded up underthe'table apron; all as disclosed and claimed in my copending application Ser. No. 671,609 above referred to.

The cam surfacings 250 are further provided with forward extensions or lugs 255, and preferably integral therewith. These lugs are adapted .to receive torsion pin spring members 210 and stop members 2'. A torsion spring 215 may be wound on the member 210 and anchored on the pin and on a dog or arm 280 in engagement with the leg 300, and so constituted and arranged so as to maintain the latter under pressure at all times. The torsion spring 215 may be wound to a desired tension by means of a pawl 'or ratchet member 212, the desired tension being maintained by contacting the pawl 212 with the stop pin or dog 2.

It will be seen that member 280, being under constant tension, urges the leg 300 to the vertical locked position nested or seated in the straight or tapered wall socket 250 at all times.

When it is desired to fold up the legs, they may be locked in position against the tension of the spring-urged lever 28!! in a manner now to be described. The legs 300 -may be provided with stops 400 formed with an angular plate Ill and secured to the leg members at the top thereof, and preferably at the ferrule portion 3"! as by suitable screws 402. The plates "I may also be secured to ferrules and made integral therewith as by means of welding, brazing, soldering, or riveting. These stops 400 are adapted to hold a bottom 320 of a leg member when a leg is folded up under the table and an adjacent leg is likewise folded up so as to bring the finger or retaining member 400 under the end of the leg of the preceding, now folded, leg member, as shown in detail in Figs. 6 and 11. It will normally be suflicientto provide only three of the foldable table legs with 'stop members 400 attached to the legs at the upper ends or ferrules thereof. It will, of course, be appreciated that the spacing or location of the stop member 400 may be varied appreciably without departing from the spirit of the present disclosures, or of the scope of .the appended claims. I

The fourth leg may be provided with a separate locking and release mechanism, designated generally by the numeral 500, as shown more particularly in Fig. 6, the details being shown in Figs. 12 and '13. The locking and release mechanismnow referred to comprises a rocking arm or lever 5 I 0 rotatably mounted on a pin 5| I adapted to be screwed into the table frame. An escutcheon plate 5 I 2 serves as a support and means for retaining the rocker arm in place, and is itself held in place by screws 5| 3 or equivalent securing members. The rocker arm is provided with an angular extension 5 at one end thereof,

forming a support for an abutted and superimposed leg 300. The support 5 may have a felt or leather pad 5| 5 secured thereto to prevent rubbing or marring of the table leg. The rocker arm is maintained in normal or locked position by any suitable means, such as a leaf spring SIG, secured to the escutcheon plate by machine screw 5". While, a leaf spring has been shown and described, it will, of course, be appreciated that a spiral spring or a rubber block may be used to give the desired results. The spring-urged rocker arm 5| 0 may be withdrawn from its normal operative locking-position to permit release of the legs 300 by the spring-urged arms 280. This release is effected by rotating the rocker arm about its pivot 5 by means of a push button 5|! secured to the rocker arm in any suitable manner, as by means of a pin 5 l 9, thus when the legs are folded up under the table the button ill will be pushed permitting the legs 30!! to pass by the rocker arm. When the button H8 is released, the rocker arm will be snapped into position and the stop portion 5 will be brought under and in looking engagement with the adjacent table leg. In this manner the set of four legs will be held in folded locked position through the members 5 and v the leg supporting members 400.

Referring now to Fig. 14, a modified form of leg locking device is shown comprising a socket member 330 formed in or secured to the bottom of the table leg 320 and adapted to\engage a ball 33| formed on one leg of a U-spring member 332, which member is itself secured to a ferrule 3M of a leg member 300. This construction permits the several legs to snap in place and be held mutually locked against the tension of springs 21! without requiring a separate locking mechanism 500, as previously described. In the latter modifled construction, when one leg is released it will readily be seen that all the legs will be consecutively released without requiring manual operation.

It will now be appreciated that there has been provided an automatic leg locking and releasing mechanism for table leg constructions, and more particularly for such constructions in which the legs are adapted to nest in socketed hinge members when in use, and are adapted to be folded up under a table frame when not in use. Further, the novel improvements of the present invention includes means for positively urging the legs into operative position when the leg looking or releasing mechanism is released.

While certain novel features of the invention have been disclosed and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In bridge tables or other like constructions having spring tensioned folding legs normally urged in operative position and adapted to be nested under the table frame when not in use and to be positively locked in socketed hinge members when in the operative position, the improvements comprising stop members formed on the legs and adjacent the hinge portions thereof, said stop members being adapted to engage the tips of abutted and folded legs and hold same in folded position whereby to mutually engage and lock each other, and separate locking means for releasably holding the mutually engaged and locked legs in inoperative, folded position;

2. A construction as described in claim 1, including a locking member for at least one of the table legs comprising a spring-urged rocking arm and means for releasing said locking arm.

3. In the table described in claim 1, said separate locking means comprising a rocker arm having an angular surface adapted for supporting and retaining a table leg, means for maintaining the arm in operative position, and other means formed on the arm for moving the same out of operative position,

4. A bridge table construction having a train of per'imetrically folding legs separately foldable inwardly of the table top when in inoperative position to nest under the said top, and comprising socketed hinge members having cam plates, guide pins and floating pivots inthe leg'members adapted to engage cam surfaces in the socket members whereby the legs may be moved into erected and out of folded position, and a plurality of spring-urged means mounted on the hinge members for automatically moving the separate legs in a train from their folded into erected opengage cam surfaces in the socket member's.

whereby the legs may be moved into and out of nested operative. position, the improvements comprising a plurality of spring- -urged means. mounted on the hinge members for automatically moving the separate legs into normal operating posi-' tion in their respective sockets, at least one of said means comprising a spring-urged arm in engagement with the leg and below the pivot thereof. 4

6. A locking mechanism for folding table legs,

comprising separate spring-urged means for separately moving the legs into operative position, means on the legs for releasably 61 8 8 8 and. holding each other in a mutually interlocked train, and separate spring locked means on at least one of the leg members for retaining the train of leg members in folded, inoperative position.

JOHNKEARSLEYM'I'CHEIL. 

